A white, plastic toothbrush with green grip and synthetic fiber bristles comb collected in a remote part of the Sonoran Desert near the Mexican border. The past 20 years has seen a rise in unauthorized border crossing, border enforcement procedures, and debates about who and how migrants should be let into the country.
As the US federal immigration enforcement strategy known as Prevention Through Deterrence (PTD) increased the security presence around urban ports of entry in the mid-1990s, there was a shift in undocumented migration towards more remote regions of the American Southwest. Those making the perilous journey through this inhospitable desert landscape faced extreme temperatures (summer temperatures as high as 100° F/38° C and winter temperatures approaching freezing), rugged terrain, abuse from coyotes (human smugglers), and the risk of getting caught by the Border Patrol.
The site where this was found likely served as a way station used by human smugglers or a site of Border Patrol apprehension. Typical items found at these sites include personal hygiene products such as this comb, backpacks, excess clothes, and empty water bottles.
This artificial lower limb from 2003 is made of carbon fiber and fiberglass. Van Phillips, the inventor, designed the distinctive Flex-Foot appendage to use a person’s weight shift from leg to leg in walking as a way to store and release energy. The socket is painted with a rain forest motif.
This lab coat belonged to Dr. Mani Menon, an Indian American surgeon trained in India and the United States. His professional career led him to Detroit, Michigan. Together with Raj Vattikuti and Dr. Mahendra Bhandari, they established the Vattikuti Urology Institute to innovate robotic surgery. By implementing robotic surgery, the recovery time and results of many patients have significantly improved. Since his first robotic prostatectomy at the Vattikuti Urology Institute, Dr. Menon has worked to become known worldwide for pioneering robotic surgery for prostate cancer and many of his innovations have made robotic prostatectomy the surgical standard in handling prostate cancer patients.
The American toy company Mattel manufactured and sold Cool Shoppin’ Barbie in 1997. The fashion doll came with her own clothing store that sold shirts, skirts, sunglasses, shoes, perfume, and purses and had a cash register, bar code scanner, and credit card reader. Barbie had her own MasterCard, and would say “credit approved” when a button was pushed.
Parents and consumer advocates complained that Barbie should not encourage excessive spending and credit debt or advertise the MasterCard brand to young children. While Cool Shoppin’ Barbie sold well during the 1997 holiday season, the contract between Barbie and MasterCard was not renewed the next year—making the toy a sought after collectible.
This is a pair of black, women’s, size 8 Fila sneakers most likely worn by an immigrant during a Mexican-U.S. border crossing. The sneakers are very worn and split down the middle of both shoes horizontally. The sneakers were recovered at a dump site on the Arizona side of the border.
Fila is an Italian company started by two brothers in 1911 as a textile business. Over the years, the company has grown and expanded into an international business fabricating sports attire. Their breakthrough line came in the 1970s, the White Line Collection, aimed specifically at tennis players but the company designs sportswear for all types of athletes today (2015).
Inventing a new technical device not only involves creating the device itself, but often entails creating special tools to produce the device or the component pieces of the device. Thomas Edison conducted experiments on hundreds of different types of natural fibers in his search for a material that would serve as a light bulb filament. This tool was designed to shave bamboo strips to the correct thickness for use as filaments.
This Orlando basketball shirt was collected in a remote part of the Sonoran Desert near the Mexican border. The past 20 years has seen a rise in unauthorized border crossing, border enforcement procedures, and debates about who and how migrants should be let into the country.
As the US federal immigration enforcement strategy known as Prevention Through Deterrence (PTD) increased the security presence around urban ports of entry in the mid-1990s, there was a shift in undocumented migration towards more remote regions of the American Southwest. Those making the perilous journey through this inhospitable desert landscape faced extreme temperatures (summer temperatures as high as 100° F/38° C and winter temperatures approaching freezing), rugged terrain, abuse from coyotes (human smugglers), and the risk of getting caught by the Border Patrol.
The site this was found most likely served as a way station used by human smugglers or a site of Border Patrol apprehension. Typical items found at these sites include personal hygiene products such as this comb, as well as backpacks, excess clothes, as well as empty water bottles.
By the mid-19th century Uncle Sam became the most recognizable personification of the U.S. government. Rather than an authority figure, he most often was portrayed with affection and used as an emblem of national kinship to instill patriotism. This costume was worn by Wilburt E. Leppien. Leppien first appeared as Uncle Sam in 1956 and took part in numerous ceremonies and parades across the country, including five presidential inaugurations.
Ororo Munroe/Storm Costume from the 2014 film X-Men: Days of Future Past. Acrtress Halle Berry originated the role of Storm on screen in 2000. The character of Storm was introduced in Marvel Comics in 1975. She was the company's first black female supehero.